Call it unfortunate, but India keeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who showed glimpses of brilliance in the ongoing series, was left out of the playing XI from the fourth IND vs NZ T20I on Wednesday. While it is not clear, what exactly is wrong with him, or the extent of his injury, but it could just be a little worrying for the team management, with the T20 World Cup around the corner.
No Ishan Kishan in India playing XI
On the other hand, Sanju Samson got yet another match, despite repeated failures. In the series he has only scored 16 runs in 3 innings. IN the last, he was dismissed for a duck. Nonetheless, it is yet another opportunity still, to prove his worth. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah came back into the side.
Sanju Samson retains spot
Varun Chakravarthy was overlooked once again for the encounter, while Kuldeep Yadav was the wrist spinner choice for Suryakumar Yadav. As expected, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, who are the backbone of the team in the lower-order, also retained their spots.
As far as the toss is concerned, Surya opted to bowl in Vizag, on a ground that might have a lot of dew, by the time the second innings starts. So, factoring that in, it could just be a good decision for the side. Meanwhile, India is leading the series 3-0, and would settle for nothing less than a whitewash.
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Suryakumar Yadav(c), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
Cricket
10 days to go for T20 World Cup 2026, 10 issues remain for Team India